1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for observing a surgical field, and in particular to such devices which are coupled to an endoscope.
Such devices are traditionally made up of an endoscopic camera which the surgeon guides manually in the patient's body, and of a video monitor which is placed a few meters away and on which the image recorded by the camera is displayed.
The surgeon uses a surgical instrument, guiding its leading end which appears on the screen.
Ordinary television screens of this kind are difficult to sterilize, so that surgeons have for many years contented themselves with keeping these screens away from the patient.
2. Description of Related Art
In the document WO 98/02107, a sterile enclosure for a flat screen has been proposed, consisting simply of a flexible envelope having substantially the shape of the screen and continuing via a sleeve around a part of a cord for powering the screen and for exchange of signals.
This document proposes closing this envelope around the cord and permanently drawing air inside this envelope in order to press it flat against the screen.
According to one variant, this document proposes placing a rigid enclosure around the screen, this enclosure having connection orifices intended to be hermetically closed when connected.
In this variant, after connection, a totally sealed envelope is obtained which permits sterilizing of the assembly by immersion without having to remove the screen from the enclosure.
However, such a device has an important disadvantage in that it is difficult to guarantee its sterility.
The sealing of the assembly rests entirely on the sealing between the enclosure and the cable connectors. This sealing is difficult to guarantee, especially as the cables are often moved or pulled and the connection is subjected to high forces. The hermetic closure between the sterile outside and the nonsterile inside of the chamber thus depends on particularly fragile means.
In addition, the rigid enclosure must be able to be opened and comprises for this purpose at least two parts which can be detached from one another. Complete sealing at the junction between these two components cannot be guaranteed for an indefinite number of sterilizations of the chamber, and air communication between the inside and the outside of the enclosure takes place at the level of this junction.
Such a device therefore cannot be considered as reliable.
The main object of the invention is to remedy this disadvantage.